trailgumby wrote:26ers will, I predict, be restricted to bikes with 150mm travel and up. That's if 650b doesn't take over, which is possible given some of the top DHers are looking at it closely.

I predict that 27.5 will eventually take that over too. I think the reality of bigger wheels is here to stay. They should have stayed with the 650Bs in the beginning and saved us the trouble.

So there you have it. 26" bikes will only be found in supermarkets and I'll eventually have trouble getting good rubber, like I currently do with my cars. Oh well, that's progress for ya.

Yeah, that's really funny. It was lack of rubber that I understand forced the adoption of 26" in the first place. Apparently the Finnish army bought up most of the supply of Nokian 650b's they were negotiating to buy when they were trying to pull together supply of all the components they needed to release a purpose-designed large production run mtb and forced Fisher or Ritchey or Sinyard or whoever it was (can't remember exactly who, nor the reference being quoted) to adopt 26" instead because tyres were the critical factor.

trailgumby wrote:Yeah, that's really funny. It was lack of rubber that I understand forced the adoption of 26" in the first place. Apparently the Finnish army bought up most of the supply of Nokian 650b's they were negotiating to buy when they were trying to pull together supply of all the components they needed to release a purpose-designed large production run mtb and forced Fisher or Ritchey or Sinyard or whoever it was (can't remember exactly who, nor the reference being quoted) to adopt 26" instead because tyres were the critical factor.

So yeah, we very nearly did go 650b way back when.

Thanks. Now I can blame the Finns when the good rubber runs out. Couldn't be my fault for being a cheap skate.

I will have to reserve any future comment on 26 v’s 29ers until I have purchased & campaigned my own 29er. Seeing how I’ll be in the market for a hardtail at the end of this year to cover; commuting, gravel roads, trail & some XC racing, everything I seem to end up looking at points to a 29er.